Rio Ferdinand Lacerated After Fan Strikes Manchester United Defender with a Coin

Manchester United's 3-2 victory over Manchester City was a fantastic match with a wildly dramatic finish, but the entirety of the contest was marred by the poor behavior of City's fans, with United defender Rio Ferdinand being struck in the face with a coin.

"We condemn the actions of the individual concerned. We are reviewing the CCTV with the police and our normal security.We will support the police with any investigation and hopefully identify the person as soon as possible."

Here's how this went down: In stoppage time, United earned a free kick just outside of City's box with the game tied at two apiece. Robin van Persie bent a free kick toward goal that was deflected, altering the shot's trajectory just enough to send it past a diving Joe Hart.

Van Persie and company headed toward the crowd to celebrate, and that's when the madness began.

Along with Ferdinand being struck by one of the many coins and other projectiles that were hurled onto the pitch, a City supporter ran onto the field. Thankfully, Hart stepped in front of the fan before he could reach a United player, and security stepped in.

Wayne Rooney also had projectiles hurled in his direction late in the game while he attempted a corner kick. It was not a flattering display by the City faithful, and without question this will not be the last we hear of this behavior.

It's a shame that fans have to behave in this manner. I understand the emotion that comes into play when the two Manchester sides play, especially given how important these head-to-head contests are for winning the league.

It was a heartbreaking way to lose a game, especially after City had rallied from a 2-0 deficit.

But to throw objects on the field, to storm the pitch in anger—well, that sort of behavior is frightening. Imagine the damage had that coin struck Ferdinand's eye.

In the end, it simply dampened what had been an otherwise cracking affair. Those City fans who reacted in such a way should be embarrassed.

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets don't act like a hooligan after a loss.